IndyCar looking for H’wood influence

Auto racing outfit opening L.A. office

The sanctioning body of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will open an office in Santa Monica in order to be more proactive in ramping up TV and film projects that promote auto racing.

“If we want to grow the sport, we need to be fully vested in relationships with the entertainment community that can tell the storylines of our sport,” said IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard.

Sarah Nettinga will manage the new office and become senior VP of media and entertainment for IndyCar Entertainment.

She previously worked at NASCAR, where she built relationships with Hollywood and worked on such racing-centric projects as bigscreen pic “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and “NASCAR Driver: 360″ on FX.

“We want to have a full vision and strategy in the marketplace,” Nettinga told Variety. “We want to immerse the consumer in the sport.”

One opportunity for IndyCar to find a broader reach may be with the Indianapolis 500, the iconic race that celebrates its 100th anni May 29.

Football and hockey have benefitted from having two of their premier teams as the subject of docuseries. HBO’s “Hard Knocks” and “24/7 Penguins/Capitals: Road to the NHL Winter Classic” have drawn praise from critics and nonsports auds.